The Louisiana Democrat., 1887-06-15
TIE Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad q
Tax.


3 out these seem to have lost favor wit
those who then urged them SO zealousl,
: and new crop substituted, and wlic
will doubtless give place to another, 70
I the leaders III the opposition are in trut
opposed to any tax, aud are merely hidin
their real opposition behind frivolous an
captious objections. For instance W
: heard one Of this kind-that this Louisj
ana and Arkansas road was not a road t.
st. Louis, but was the little road to Nat
chez, and the real purpose was to get ,
tax for that road. It seems to us tina
common sense woull have answered tina
4 tax voted to build road to st. Loui
could Tot he collected to build road t,
NatcheZ, and that such fraud would de
feat itself. Whenever it became manifes
that the railroad parties had abandoned
their purpose to build road to St. Louis
We would be released from our obligation
to pay any tax, and if we had paid any
petition it could be recovered. We have
period OF ten years to test the purpose
OF the railroad parties, and if we have
pald one or two years taxes which have
Deen appropriated in building the Nat.
chez road, we will not be seriously injured
we will have the road and the right to re
cover the tax paid if we are mean enoue h
to demand return of the price of SO great
benefit Another objection cf similar
characfer-tllat there is no stipulation
that the railroad shall build it's workshops
on the thirty acres which we are to do
nate for thrt purpose. Common sense
ought to have taught those who urge this
objection that when the railroad accepted
TINS donation made for that purpose it OBJ
llgated itself to put its workshops on it as
lrnly as II the stipulation was expressed.
That which is clearly implied in con-
tract rs as much part of the contract as
If written 1t in. The parties who make
these objections are not wanting in COM
mon sense, nor in the strategy Of opposi-
| ton. They know that the most effective
way to oppose is to approve the principle
but oppose every detail by which the prin-
clple can be made effective, to oppose OH
the hypothesis that better contract
might be made.
The other objections are that the delay
until 1880 is too long, and that there is no
time fixed i'll which the road is to be COM
pleted. The first is too shallow to mis-.
lead any one. Suppose the time was fix
ed on the LIST of January, 1883, what sure
ty would it addH Nothing at all. A be-
ginning can be easily made. The road
way cleared and few spades full of dirt
thrown up is beginning. The T. snd P.
road, or its progenitor, was begun thirty
years ago. But as shallow as this pretext
is it has been seriously urged, and some
have pretended to be influenced by it
1t is perfectly apparent that no guarantee
that Is worth a copper can be given on
this point. The opponents of the tax
suggest that if at the end of one, or say
two years. the road is not commenced, the
tax shall be forfeited. We have already
seen how easily this may be avoided; but
suppose this means is not resorted to and
tue two years elapse without beginning,
what Indemnity have we for the loss Of
timer Suppose we have, in the mean
time, refused to vote tax to another
road because it refused to contract to he
gin rs early as the other, but it builds and
goes below US at such time as suits their
work, what indemnity is being released
from the tax to the other road for the loss
OF the road that is built7 What we want
is railroad, or half dozen of them, and
not to devise ways and means of being re-
leased from any taxes we have voted,
The other objection is that no time is
specified when the road is to be comule
ted. We think it will require a good deal
OF modesty to propose this Limitation. A
road from here to St. Louis will cost about |
sl2, 600, ,oGo. The tar proposed Will amount
to about $l7,0 ,0o0, payable in ten years.
Reduced to cash basis it will amount to
about $4,000, or one thirteen-hundredths of |
the cost Of the road rather a small |
amount npon which to claim the manage |
ment Of 100000. Perhaps it will be
clearer to say rather a small reward to
hold out as an inducement fos such gi-
5antic enterprise to put on more labor and |
more capital We can recall but one in
stance that equals in modesty such de-
nand, and that is one cited by Stcrne, in
which a beggar always named the sum to
be given and would accept no other. But
suppose We make the proposition and we
Ire asked what limit do you propose, how
many of those who are obiecting for want
II this limitation know anything about
he time required to build road, or have
my conception of the Thousand and one
that may delay the compile
ion OF such an enterprise They NAV.
lowever, rest assured that if the railroad
lccepts any limitation it will be go remote
is not to interfere with their operations.
md will be utterly useless to the town for
he purpose for which it is urged. But
uppose the railroad declines to accent II
nd the tar is refused, what is proposed
~ the opponents of the tar as a substi-
ntes Will they tell US frankly that they
'refer having no road, or letting this one s
ross mile or two below us to paying the
aGf Whether they answer thus OF not
he facts answer for them. Is there any ,
ther road to whicd they propose to vote
he tao When they defeat one road they t
nght before doing so assure the town 8
hat they have another ready to be SUBJ |
t!tnted. Is there any such foadf We {
'arn that Mr.. Johnson, who proposes to
Wld to Little Rock, frankly stated that t
he parties he represents have no money, a
ct expected to raise it from European
capitalists whom they had obtained the /
ght OF way and the taGation of five mills
'om tho Parishes and Counties through r
'hlch the road passed. Are we to reject t
lat which is immediate for such contin- t
encies as thisf The contingency of Eu- n
,pean capital and consequently Of Euro e
pan war, and the the thousand other t
,ntingencies incident to procuring such /
loan. Is this the substitute offereds If a
is our town will secure itself against p
'ilroad taxation. If that refusal defeats d
10 building of the Louisiana and Arkan-
IS road there will be no road from Little p
ock. If MIR. Johuson's road is Mr.. Il
ould's, it will not be built to compete n
ith the road Mr.. Gould already has. If p
is not Mr.. Govld's he will either buy it V
1t, as he did the Natchez and St. Louis. o
else defeat it in the money market. "
The opponents to the tar make the mis- "
Ike of taking it for granted that the road p
i'll accept any contract we may devise,
I'd all we have 10 do is to settle how the b